Lara Croft has a rough time. Honestly, watching her tumble down a frozen mountainside in the opening minutes of the game makes my own ribs ache. You’re likely here because you’re stuck. Maybe a puzzle in a flooded tomb is giving you grief, or perhaps those Trinity soldiers with the thermal vision are chewing through your health bar faster than you can craft bandages. This Rise of the Tomb Raider walkthrough isn't just about showing you where to walk; it’s about understanding the rhythm of a game that oscillates between quiet archaeological wonder and frantic, bloody survival.
The Prophet's Tomb in Syria is basically a warm-up. It’s beautiful, sun-drenched, and relatively linear. But once the snow starts falling in Siberia, the game stops holding your hand. You're cold. You're under-geared. You have a bow that looks like it was assembled from a dumpster. That’s where the real game begins.
Getting Through the Early Game Grunt Work
Survival is the first hurdle. Most players rush through the initial Siberian wilderness because they want to get to the "cool stuff," but that’s a mistake. You need to hunt. It sounds tedious, I know. But skinning those deer and gathering hardwood isn't just flavor text; it’s the difference between having a reinforced quiver and running out of arrows while a bear is trying to eat your face.
The first major "wall" most people hit is the bear encounter. You’ll find it shortly after meeting Jacob. Don't just run in. Use the environment. There are poison mushrooms nearby. If you haven't figured it out yet, poison arrows are the secret "easy mode" for most of this game’s combat. Shoot the ground near the bear, let the cloud stun it, then pepper it with regular shots. Rinse and repeat. It’s cheesy, sure, but Lara is one person against a 1,000-pound predator. Play dirty.
The Soviet Installation Spike
This area is huge. It’s the first time the game really opens up, and it’s where your Rise of the Tomb Raider walkthrough needs to focus on navigation. The Copper Mill is a vertical nightmare of rusted metal and Trinity patrols. If you’re trying to go loud here, you’re going to have a bad time. The AI in Rise is significantly smarter than in the 2013 reboot. They flank. They use grenades to flush you out of cover.
Stay on the rooftops. Always.
Lara is an apex predator when she’s ten feet above her enemies. Use the bottles and bricks scattered around to lure guards away from their buddies. A quiet neck-snap is always better than a frantic shootout that draws the attention of the guy with the riot shield. Speaking of riot shields, don't waste your rifle ammo on them. Dodge-roll behind them or use a well-placed explosive.
💡 You might also like: Hogwarts Legacy PS5: Why the Magic Still Holds Up in 2026
Solving the Most Frustrating Tombs
You can technically skip the optional Challenge Tombs. But why would you? They provide the best upgrades in the game, like the ability to fire two arrows at once without reloading. That’s massive.
The "Ancient Cistern" in the Soviet Installation is a classic water-level puzzle. It’s all about buoyancy. You have to throw oil jars at specific levers to trigger water flow. Many players get stuck because they forget they can throw items while swimming. It’s a small mechanic, but it’s the key to the whole room.
Then there’s the "Voice of God" tomb. This one is less about water and more about wind and timing. You’re dealing with a massive frozen door and a series of weights. The trick here is the crank. You have to timing the release of the counterweight so the wind catches it at the apex of its swing. If you’re off by even a second, it just hits the wall. It’s frustrating. It might take you five tries. Take a breath, watch the rhythmic swaying of the ropes, and release only when the wind gust is at its peak.
Dealing with the Flooded Archives
This is arguably the most atmospheric part of the game. It’s also where the puzzles get deadly. You’re moving explosive barrels through water. The physics can be a bit wonky here. If a barrel gets stuck on a piece of geometry, don't keep pushing it; it’ll likely explode and take you with it. Reset the barrel and try a different angle.
The "Atlas" puzzle in the center of the archives is the climax of this section. You have to balance two different platforms while Trinity soldiers are actively shooting at you. It’s a lot to manage. Focus on the soldiers first. The puzzle isn't timed, even though the music makes it feel like the world is ending. Kill the guys on the catwalks, then go back to the levers.
Combat Strategies for Late Game Trinity
By the time you reach the Geothermal Valley and eventually the Lost City of Kitezh, Trinity is throwing everything at you. Flamethrower units, heavy armor, and those annoying snipers.
📖 Related: Little Big Planet Still Feels Like a Fever Dream 18 Years Later
- The Bolt Action Rifle is your best friend for distance, but once things get close, the Auto-Loading Shotgun is king.
- Upgrade your Dodge Counter as soon as possible. It’s an essential skill that allows you to insta-kill unarmored enemies or stun armored ones after a successful dodge.
- Don't sleep on the Greek Fire upgrades. Making your fire arrows hotter sounds like a minor stat boost, but it melts through the late-game "Immortal" enemies.
The Immortals (the guys in the ancient armor) are fast. They don't use guns, but they close the gap quickly. Use the environment to keep them at arm's length. Those jars of Greek fire scattered around the arenas aren't just for show. One shot turns a crowd of enemies into a bonfire.
Survival Instincts: Use Them or Lose
The "Survival Instinct" button (clicking the right stick on a controller) is basically a legal cheat code. It highlights collectibles, but more importantly, it shows you which enemies are "safe" to kill. If an enemy is highlighted in yellow, no one can see them. If they’re red, killing them will alert the whole camp.
I’ve seen people ignore this and try to "ghost" through levels unsuccessfully. This Rise of the Tomb Raider walkthrough advice is simple: if you want to be stealthy, spam that button. It’s not "immersion-breaking" if it keeps you from dying for the twentieth time in a row.
Collecting the Language Skills
You'll find murals and documents everywhere. Read them. Not just for the lore—though the story of the Prophet is actually pretty decent—but because Lara’s language skills are tied to her ability to find better gear. You need Level 3 Greek or Russian to read the high-level Monoliths. These Monoliths reveal the locations of Coin Caches.
Why do coins matter? The Supply Shack.
The merchant in the Soviet Installation sells some of the best gear in the game, including the Silencer and the Commando Rifle. You can't buy these with scrap; you need Byzantine coins. If you skip the murals, you skip the coins, and you're stuck with "basic" gear for way too long.
👉 See also: Why the 20 Questions Card Game Still Wins in a World of Screens
Final Push into Kitezh
The final act of the game is a gauntlet. You'll be doing a lot of climbing while things explode around you. It’s cinematic, but it can be disorienting. When you’re in the "Lost City," keep your eyes peeled for the trebuchets. You’ll have to use them to break down the gates.
The trick with the trebuchets isn't just aiming; it’s clearing the ice off the gears. You’ll often have to grapple over to a swinging bucket or a weight to knock the ice loose before the mechanism will turn. If the wheel won't budge, look up. There's almost always something blocking the gears.
The final boss fight with Konstantin is... well, it’s a stealth boss. Don't try to shoot him head-on. He has an assault rifle and a very angry disposition. You have to sneak around the pillars and perform "stealth" takedowns on him three times. Use the cans to distract him. It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game, and if he catches you in the open, you’re done.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re just starting or you’re stuck mid-way, here is exactly what you should do to make your life easier:
- Prioritize the "Intuition" Skill: It makes nearby collectibles glow through walls. It saves hours of aimless wandering.
- Backtrack to the Geothermal Valley: Once you get the Combat Knife or the Wire Spool, go back to earlier areas. There are caves and chests you couldn't open before that contain high-tier weapon parts.
- Craft on the Fly: You can craft arrows while sprinting. Get into the habit of holding the craft button during combat transistions so you’re never caught with an empty quiver.
- Focus on the Bow: While the rifles are fun, a fully upgraded Deathless Longbow is arguably the most powerful weapon in the game due to its speed and silent kills.
Lara's journey is about evolution. You start as a survivor and end as a warrior. If you’re struggling, it’s usually because you’re trying to play it like a generic third-person shooter. Stop. Treat every encounter like a puzzle. Use the verticality, use the crafting, and for the love of everything, watch out for those spike traps in the floor. They still get me every single time.